THE "ideal" way of manning Wokingham's CCTV system is from a control room in Reading, insists one of its backers Cllr Barrie Patman.

Cllr Patman, the community safety champion to the council's executive, said that despite reports to the contrary the system and the possibility of a control room in Wokingham was not being "hampered by technology".

He said: "It is being monitored in Reading and is

controlled by the police, and that's the ideal and best way to do it at the moment.

"The police control room has instant pictures, it is manned by officers and they can immediately deploy their resources when needed."

He added that there were "no delays of three years" but there were "a lot more locations to consider" for siting cameras and said that "if anything is hampering us it's the lack of funds".

Conservative cllr Patman said: "The scheme originally required £800,000 and we have £250,0000.

"That is because the Lib Dems failed to apply for the grants."

However, chairman of the Liberal Democrat group Stephen Conway said that it was "characteristic of the Tories to try and shift the blame".

He added: "We drew up an independent study that

recommended 44 cameras but the Conservatives are putting in what is effectively a smaller scheme.

"We did not fail to bid for the money, but the government stopped the bidding process before the report was published.

"The Tories are yet again barking up the wrong tree.

"They have put in a smaller scale scheme as an instant solution, a quick fix.

"But they have left no room for expansion.

"The only way to have more cameras is for Wokingham to have its own control room."

The district's existing

14 cameras, which were installed last month, will be officially opened at the beginning of May.

The connection of BT transmission links to the control room in Reading begins next month.

However it may be three years until the town has its

own control room and the 44 recommended cameras.

CCTV is costing £240,000 to install in the district, with Home Office funding of £100,000 going towards the cost of the scheme.

A feasibility study commissioned two years ago by the then ruling Liberal Democrats recommended cameras should be placed at sites in the town centre, Woodley, Twyford and Earley.

Cameras have already been installed at 10 sites in Wokingham Town centre including the Market Place, Broad Street, Peach Street and Station Road, and four locations in Woodley shopping

centre and Headley Road car park.

The two town centres were the first to have CCTV installed as they were considered the highest priority according to crime statistics for the district.